Long wall mining planer guide arrangement



Dec. 12, 1967 A LOBBE ET AL 3,357,743

LONG WALL MlNlNG ILAN'J''( GUIDE AUUANGHMUN'I' Filed Sept. 7', 1965 United States Patent Otlce 3,357,743 Patented Dec. 12, 1967 3,357,743 LONG WALL MINING PLANER GUIDE ARRANGEMENT Armin Lobbe, Oberad'en Post Kamen, and Christoph Rassmann, Lunen, Westphalia, Germany, assignors to Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia Wethmar, near Lunen Westphalia, Germany, a corporation Filed Sept. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 485,634 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 11, 1964, G 41,493 9 Claims. (Cl. 299..-34)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Coal planer guide means having two channels substantially vertically spaced for receipt therethrough of chain drive means. The upper channel has a slit opening facing the mine face, through which a lug attached to the planar being guided passes, which lug is attached to the chain drive means. The planar guide has a slanting plate disposed between the lower channel and part of the upper channel (forming one edge of the upper channel slit), which encloses the lower channel and also forms, in combination with a guide rail directed toward the mine face and adapted to contact the mine iloor, a guide channel in which a lug of the plane rides.

The present invention relates to a planer guide arrangement for use in the long wall mining of coal and other minerals, and more particularly to a planer guide arrangement wherein the planer is moved back and forth longitudinally along a mine face for mineral extraction therefrom by means of power transmitted from a prime mover to the planer via a recirculating iiexible traction element, such as an-endless chain or cable.

According to the invention, both the tension or driving portion of such a recirculating chain or cable and the slack or return portion thereof are housed within channels defined by a pair of cooperating track assemblies which also serve for guiding the longitudinal movement of the planer.

Because the movement of the planer involves simultaneous movement of both the driving and the return chain portions, it is highly desirable that they be housed within some sort of shielding enclosure to prevent accidental contact with the operating personnel, and to prevent interference with their operation by coal fragments released by the planer.

The long wall mining planer guide of the instant invention is adapted to rest upon the mine floor during normal operation, and its track assemblies are supported by an elongated support means, preferably a conveyor extending longitudinally along the mine face.

One track assembly, the inner track assembly, is operatively connected to the conveyor for direct support thereby, and the other, or outer track assembly is operatively connected to the inner track assembly for support thereby. Thus, the outer track assembly is supported indirectly by the conveyor via the inner track assembly.

Each track assembly has a longitudinally extending planer guide surface, the inner track assembly being provided with a planar guide surface having an arcuate transverse cross section and the outer track assembly being provided with an upwardly inclined planer guide surface which can be either fiat or arcuate in cross section.

The inner and outer track assemblies, the guide surfaces of which Contact corresponding surfaces on the planer to guide the longitudinal movement thereof, are disposed in cooperating relationship with each other to dene an upper channel having a longitudinal slit and representing a housing for the planer drive chain, and a lower channel representing a housing for the planer return chain.

The purpose of the longitudinal slit in the upper channel is to permit the planer to be connected to the drive chain for movement thereby, such as for example, my means of lug members aiiixed to the planer and extending through the slit for connection to the drive chain. p

Since the return chain need not be connected to the planer, it is not necessary to provide any longitudinal slit in the lower channel. Of course, if desired, the lower channel could be provided with a longitudinal slit to adapt it for housing the drive chain, in which case the inner and outer track assemblies would be so constructed and arranged as to dene a lower channel with such a slit and an upper channel which is substantially enclosed at least on the mine face side.

Preferably, the inner and outer track assemblies are constructed from steel plate sections welded or otherwise merely fastened together, as this type of construction is relatively simple to fabricate. Consequently, to provide better rigidity for resisting the load forces imposed by the planer, the inner and outer track assemblies are each provided with a plurality of reinforcng rib members aflixed thereto, such as by welding at corresponding longi-V tudinal stations over their length. The rib members on the inner track assembly are disposed for operativeengagement with corresponding rib members on the outer track assembly to position said track assemblies in their intended cooperating relationship 'for defining the channels, and to provide a greater over-all rigidity.

To provide means for establishing a s predetermined depth of extractive engagement of the planer with the mine face, either the inner or the outer track assembly, but preferably the inner, can be provided with a rail member `disposed for contact with the mine oor and having a leading edge disposed for contact with the mine face. This par-y ticular feature is to be found in certain prior art planer, guide arrangements, although not as a part of a track assembly in a bipartite track arrangement.

Such a rail member, in the planer guide arrangement of the instant invention as in the prior art, presents a slanting ramp-like surface underneath the planer and is used in conjunction with the keel-less type of planer.

In certain prior art planer guide arrangements, the drive chain was passed through a lower channel which was provided with a longitudinal slit to permit connection of the planer to the drive chain. This lower channel was defined by a shell-shaped plate extending over the entire planer guide length. A screw fastening provided with connection between the plate means defining the upper channel, used for the return chain, with the lower chain channel plate being fastened in turn to the Conveyor side wall by an additional screw fastening. In this particular case, a semi-circular cover plate enclosed the upper portion of the upper channel.

One serious disadvantage of this type of construction used hitherto lies in the fact that the reaction forces resulting from extraction along the mine face were transmitted by the planer to the upper guide surface 1n such a manner as to tend to open the semi-circular cover plate.

After a relatively short period in the contemplated operating life of the planer guide, these transmitted reaction forces tended to produce an opening between the cover plate and the adjoining member defining the uppencham guiding channel which Was wide enough to perm1t fine coal conveyed by the planer to enter the chain passage and cause jamming.

Another disadvantage of such an arrangement was that two separate screw fastenings were required at each attachment station to effect coupling of the entlre planer guide system to the conveyor.

It is therefore, the aim of the invention to provlde a planer guide arrangement which effectively prevents lghe caking of coal in the upper chain passage, and to provide a covering therefor which is designed so that the reaction forces from the coal face do not widen any joint in such passage, even under protracted stress.

Furthermore, the invention provides a means for attaching the planer guide to the conveyor with a single screw or bolt fastening at each attachment station, thereby avoiding the necessity of using two separate screw fastenings.

The planer guide arrangement of the instant invention is applicable in general to various types of planers for the mining of coal and other minerals by planing or scraping cutter action in underground mining operations, and in the case of coal planers of the keel-less type, can be constructed to provide an underlying rail means extending along the entire long wall mine face length.

The objectives of the invention are accomplished by arranging the inner and outer track assemblies so that the upper channel, which houses the pulling section of the planer drive chain, has a longitudinal slit which is open on the mine face side, and by constructing such inner and outer track assemblies from longitudinally extending plate components provided at intervals with reinforcing ribs for reinforcement against wear and undue ecture. These track assemblies are held in their intended working position by means of a screw or bolt fastened to the conveyor and passing through the longitudinal plate members and reinforcing ribs of both track assemblies. Thus, the planer guide construction according to the invention results in a drive and return chain housing arrangement wherein a longitudinally slit upper channel houses the drive chain and a lower channel, preferably disposed directly underneath the upper channel, houses the return chain, with the upper channel having an open bottom except for such intermittent areas of rib reinforcement.

The longitudinal slit opening in the upper channel is so positioned in relation to the direction of .extractive reaction orces transmitted through the planer that widening of the slit opening is substantially precluded. Since the upper channel is open at the bottom, such fine coal as may penetrate through the longiutdinal slit can falldown unhampered. Since by reason of the internally open arrangement of the inner and outer track assemblies, this tine coal will for the most part also fall through the generally open bottom of the lower channel onto the lmine floor where it can be reached from under the waste side of the conveyor by sweeping or vacuum cleaning equipment, or otherwise removed, so as not to interfere with .the free movement of the return chain.

In particular, the feature of the invention which permits the planer guide to be assembled by means of a longitudinal reinforcing station permits simple removal of the outer track assembly without disturbingthe"connection of the inner track assembly to the conveyor, For this purpose, two nuts are used, one nut Abeing provided for fastening the inner track assembly to the conveyor, and the other-being provided -fonfastening the outer track assembly to the previously connected inner track assembly and conveyor.

For greater rigidity, the inner track assembly which has an elongated cover member defining the upper portion of the upper channel, as well as the planer guide surface of the inner track assembly, c-an be provided with an ad-` ditional elongated reinforcing member disposed in contact with the cover member and operatively connected thereto, as for example by Welding, to reduce the flexibility thereof.

It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide a planer guide arrangement incorporating channel means for protectively housing the drive .and return chains used for propelling the planer guided thereby. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a planer guide arrangement as aforesaid which can be simply assembled from two primary track assemblies.

A further object of the invention is to provide a planer guide arrangement as aforesaid having a generally open internal construction to prevent trapping of line coal or other mineral fragments extracted by the planer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a planer guide arrangement as aforesaid which is suitably reinforced against excessive deection under operating loads.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawing which shows an elevation view, partly in section, of a planer guide arrangement according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the planer guide A is adapted to rest upon a mine floor G and serves for guiding a long wall mining planer 12 longitudinally back and forth along a mine face F for the extraction of mineral therefrom. In addition, the planer guide A also serves for protectively housing the drive chain D and the return chain R used for propelling the planer 12, with the drive chain D which is under tension when the planer is moved being housed within the upper channel 1 and the return chain R which recirculates to` provide for the back and forth planer 12 movements, being housed within the' lower channel 2. The upper channel 1 is provided with a lon gitudinal slit S opening towards the mine face F. To maintain the planer guide A in an appropriate relation with respect to the mine face F, an elongated support means, such as for example, a conveyor 6 is provided. This conveyor 6 is preferably a conventional lcon,- veyor of the type used in long wall mining operations,

and is adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine.

face F, normally in parallel relation thereto. Since the planer guide A rests upon the mine floor G, the support provided `by the conveyor 6 is substantially lateral support. An lnner track assembly 5 is operatively connected to the conveyor 6 for support thereby by means of a bolt 7. and a nut 11, and an outer track assembly 4 is opera# tively connected tothe inner track assembly 5 for support thereby and also to the conveyor 6 by means of the same bolt 7 and another nut 10. Therinner and outer track assemblies 5 and 4 are disposed in a cooperating relationship with each other to` definethe upper and lower channels 1 and 2 respectively. i i

The longitudinal slit S s disposed to permit the planer 12 to be operatively connected, such as by lug members 21 (only one shown) therethrough to the drive chain D for movement thereby. I

To provide for the guidance of the planar 12, the in-y ner track assembly 5 has a longitudinally extending planer guide surface 22,'l somewhat arcuate in transverse cross section, and the outer track assembly 4 has an upwardly inclined planer guide surface 23, substantially at in transverse cross section. It is to be understood of course, that the particular cross-sectionalshapes of the planer guide surfaces 22 and 23 which slidably mate with corresponding load bearing surfaces 24 and 25, respectively on the planer 12, can be of any suitable shapes, the combination of an arcuate guide surface 22 and a fiat guide surface 23 being given purely by way of example. Also, the number of individually distinct guide surfaces p rovided on the track assemblies 4 and 5 can be varied as desired, and in accordance with the weight of the planer 12 to be carried thereupon.

The outer track assembly 4 is provided with a plurality of reinforcing rib members 3a affixed thereto as for exa-mple, by Welding at longitudinal stations along the length thereof, and the inner track is provided with a similar plurality of` reinforcing rib members 3b similarly aixed thereto at longitudinal stations corresponding to those of the rib members 3a.

Corresponding rib members 3a and 3b are disposed for operative engagement with each other to maintain the inner and outer track assemblies `5 and 4 in a mutually cooperating relationship to define the upper channell and the lower channel 2. Except for the attachment regions of the rib 1members 3a and 3b, the interior of the planer guide A is substantially open, as is readily apparent from the configuration of the cover plate 8 and elongated reinforcing plate member 9 of the inner track assembly 5, and from the cover plate member 26 of the outer track assembly 4. Thus, any `coal or mineral fragments which enter through the slit S will fall through the upper channel 1 and down through the lower channel 2 `onto the mine floor G, and can be removed therefrom through the clearance space between the oor G and Ibottom edge of the reinforcing plate 9.

To reduce the fiexibility of the inner track assembly, the reinforcing plate member 9 is `disposed in contact with and is welded to the cover plate 8, said cover plate 8 defining the upper portion of the upper channel 1 and the upper boundary edge of the slit S, and also defining the upper planer guide surface 22. By reason of the reinforcing plate 9 and the shape of the cover plate 8, the mineral extraction reactive forces transmitted to the planer guide A via the planer 12 contact with the guide surfaces 22 and 23 will not tend to open up the slit S.

To establish a predetermined depth of extractive engagement of the planer 12 with the mine face F, the inner track assembly 5 includes a rail member 27 disposed for contact with the mine oor G and having a forward edge 28 disposed for contact with the mine face F. This depth of cut corresponds to the forward extension of the cutters K on the planer 12 beyond the edge 28 of the rail member 27.

Alternatively, the rail member 27 can be included as a part of the outer track assembly 4.

One of the advantageous features of the planer guide A lies in the fact that the inner track assembly 5 is operatively connected to the conveyor 6, and the outer track assembly 4 is operatively connected to the inner track assembly 5 by a single fastening means, i.e. the threaded bolt or stud 7, extending through the reinforcing rib members 3a and 3b of the track assemblies 4 and 5 at each longitudinal reinforcing station. This is advantageous` because the outer track assembly 4 can be removed to permit access to the upper and lower channels 1 and 2 for servicing the drive `and return chain sections D and R. With the outer track assembly 4 removed, the connections of the lug members 21 (one lug member 21 on each side of the planer 12) to the drive chain D can be readily serviced, whereas if the outer track assembly 4 were fixedly installed, such access would be difficult.

What is claimed is:

1. Coal planer guide adapted to guide a coal planer across a mine face having means defining two substantially vertical super posed channels adapted to have chain drive means pass therethrough; the upper of said channels having a slit-like opening facing said mine face; a slanting frame plate extending from the lower edge of said slit downwardly across the lower of said channels and effectively closing said lower channel; bolt means removably connecting said slanting frame to said vertical channel defining means; and a planer having lug means opt forcing rib members disposed between said slanting frame and said lower channel which rib members from a portion of the lower channel defining means and a portion of the upper channel defining means.

3. Planer guide as claimed in claim 2 wherein said ribs have substantially concave arcuate surfaces directed toward said channels.

4. Planer guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein said slanting frame has apertures therein aligned with said bolt means adapted to provide Vaccess to said bolt means therethrough and wherein said bolt means serves to at tach said slantingrframe and said channel defining means together and to a conveyor.

5. Planer guide as claimed in claim 1 including means defining a guide channel disposed between said lower channel and saidtmine face and lug` means on said planer disposed within said guide channel.

6. Planer guide as claimed in claim 1 including guide rail -means disposed between said lower channel and said mine face and adapted to contact a mine floor.

'7. Planer guide as claimed in claim 6, wherein said guide rail means and said slanting frame are means defining a guide channel between said lower channel and said guide rail which guide `channel houses `lug means of said planer.

S. The planer guide according to claim 1 wherein said fastening means comprises a threaded bolt, a first nut in operative engagement `with said bolt and with said first `track assembly to secure same to said conveyor means,

and a second nut disposed in operative engagement with said bolt and with said second track assembly to secure same to said first track assembly, whereby said second track assembly can be removed from the first track assembly by removing the second nut at each longitudinal rib reinforcing station to permit access to the upper and lower channels for servicing.

9. A longwall mining planer guide adapted to rest on a mine iioor for guiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction of mineral from the mine face, which comprises an elongated conveyor means adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face, a first track assembly operatively connected to said conveyor means for support thereby, said first track assembly having a planer guide surface, a second track assembly having an upwardly inclined planer guide surface and operatively connected to said first track assembly for support thereby, said first and second track assemblies each having a plurality of reinforcing rib members respectively affixed thereto at corresponding longitudinal stations and disposed for operative engagement with one another to maintain said first and second track assemblies in cooperative relationship with each other to define an upward channel having longitudinal slit and representing a housing for the planer drive chain and a lower channel representing a housing for the planer return chain, said longitudinal slit of the upper channel 1 being disposed to permit the planer to be operatively connected therethrough to the drive chain for movement thereby, whereby the planer can be moved back and forth along the mine face for mineral extraction therefrom by the drive and return chains housed Within said upper and lower channels with said planer being disposed in contact with the guide surfaces of said first and second track assemblies to guide such movement; `wherein said first track assembly is operatively connected to said conveyor means and said second track assembly is operatively connected to said first track assembly by a single threaded bolt extending through the reinforcing members of said track assembly at each longitudinal rib 7 8 reinforcing station, which bolt has operatively engaged References Cited therewith a rst nut whereby said rst track assembly UNITED STATES PATENTS is secured to said conveyor means, and a second nut whereby said second track assembly is secured to said first 3306664 2/1967 Dommann et al 299"34 track assembly, whereby said second track assembly can 5 FOREIGN PATENTS be removed from the rst track assembly by removing 502,636 10/1951 Belum the second nut at each longitudinal rib reinforcing sta- 977,163 174/1964 Greaat Britain tion to permit access to the upper and lower channels for servicing. ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. COAL PLANER GUIDE ADAPTED TO GUIDE A COAL PLANER ACROSS A MINE FACE HAVING MEANS DEFINING TWO SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL SUPER POSED CHANNELS ADAPTED TO HAVE CHAIN DRIVE MEANS PASS THERETHROUGH; THE UPPER OF SAID CHANNELS HAVING A SLIT-LIKE OPENING FACING SAID MINE FACE; A SLANTING FRAME PLATE EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID SLIT DOWNWARDLY ACROSS THE LOWER OF SAID CHANNELS AND EFFECTIVELY CLOSING SAID LOWER CHANNEL; BOLT MEANS REMOVABLY CONNECTING SAID SLANTING FRAME TO SAID VERTICAL CHANNEL DEFINING MEANS; AND A PLANER HAVING LUG MEANS OPERATIVELY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID UPPER CHANNEL OPERATIVELY ENGAGED TO SAID CHAIN DRIVE MEANS. 